Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Disney Principles 7a - How Would You Anticipate This Action?

My point is that anticipations are overused in a lot of animation. You don't always need to antic every move and there are lots of different ways to get from point A to Point B. I think controlled imagination (using your imagination and knowledge to customize every move) is more interesting and natural than resorting to formula.

BTW, all the frame grabs and clips I put up from old cartoons have great drawings to copy and study.

37 comments:

If I'm understanding correctly, I would have Bugs' hand reaching for it the same time his eyebrows show his intent. Since the joke here is how quickly he snatches it, I wouldn't have a lot of extra anticipation to slow him down. Elmer's reaction strengthens the quickness.

I really like the snappy action in the original. It suits Bug's attitude of assuming the serious chief while still being witty enough to take advantage of Elmer's dumbfounded stupidity.

If i had to come up with something I'd have him raise his hand as he says 'HOW', (palm facing Elmer-as the greeting goes) stick his chest out proudly, step up on his tip toes and on the exhale do a similar swipe to Elmer's gun.

Haven't seen this in years, but I seem to remember Bigs did not break character from the stoic cigar store indian type, and in this instance, the less telegraphing of the action (from bugs), the better.

You could anticipate the action by using Elmer. And Bugs could say something to distract Elmer. For bugs it would be a quick snap and switch of gun ownership.

Sometimes (or always?) anticipation is about the -interaction- of the characters. Elmers awareness, or lack of same is the important bit. Elmer could even have handed the gun over himself.

It will be interesting to learn how it was actually handled, in case I'm dead wrong. I don't expect even a shift of eyeballs out of bugs, in anticipation, just a grab.

Sometimes the entire situation, even the entire history of the character, is the anticipation. Sometimes it is the dialog. Sometimes the gag hinges on everyone being surprised.

If he's sort of demonstratively going to take the gun and maybe break it over his knee (which it looks like given his facial expression), and if I'm looking to go from the first picture there to the last – I'd have his hand whip out to the side (straight out from the shoulder in 3 dimensional space), a quick halt and then the gun would be swished away – Bugs remaining quite rigid in his pose the whole while.

Would it be an antic, if the end of Fudd's rifle began to droop, before Bugs grabs it? It would go with the expression on Fudd's face at that point, which is kind of withering. The rifle could "undroop". once Bugs has it.

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Hey, Those frames are really difficult to copy. Elmer shapes are changing constantly from key to key.It's also a very stylish drawing, lots of smooth corners, organic shapes. This is from the 50's right?

I can't see the video, due to quicktime crap, but based on the relaxed looks on bugs in both, I'd say that little anticipation would be needed from him- he's decided to grab the gun without much thought about it- almost natural.

I think that the majority of the anticipation would come down on elmer, most likely that a good part of the anticipation has been built up with him leading up into that key frame, then that face he created would hold for a moment, and maybe just slightly lowering the gun down a bit from disbelief & confusion- then bugs just reaches out, and pulls it back like it was nothing and he's done it 100 times to other hunters the same way.

The purpose of an anticipation to to insure that the audience reads the action. You don't want them to miss something important. Or to make the impact of an action harder, like the wind up for a pitch, or a slap in the face (a la James Cagney).In John's example, the comedy is found in suddenness of the grab. Any anticipation would have dulled the effect.Look for the needs of the shot, not following rules by rote.

There's an opposite example in another Bugs cartoon (I've forgotten the title). Bugs rears back with a baseball bat over a sleeping bulldog. It's a HUGE anticipation that they hold for at least 18 frames. Then, there are no inbetweens to the impact. No smears, no blurs... heck, they even SKIP the impact drawing itself. It cuts straight to a screen full of stars! It's a brilliant choice, much like the one given here.

One interesting example of anticipation I found was in one of Wile E. Coyote's traps. It was a makeshift springboard that only slammed him into the asphalt. The entire action was only 8 frames long. However, in the first frame Wile E. went backwards, then in the other 7 he went forward into the ground.

I forget which cartoon that comes from, but if you find it you'll see what I mean.

Those are great drawings, I especially like the grab because of the way Elmer coils.

Thanks for the stills its always appreciated.. by someone. lol I'm guessing. I mean. I guess I can't really speak for everyone. I mean. I certainly don't /always/ appreciate it. Since I'm not always around. Oh but if I were!